Asignaturas de Segundo Curso

There are several terms that are used in the animal harvesting and beef processing industry at the meat cutting phase. Live weight, carcass weight and the dressing percentage are among these terms. Also important are the industry-accepted primal and retail meat cuts.

The live weight of an animal refers to its total weight on the day of harvest. Some operations will weigh the animal upon arrival and unloading at the facility, while others will weigh the animal moments prior to harvesting. Either of these total body weights is often referred to as the live weight or harvest weight. Depending on a number of factors, such as age, breed and sex of the animal, typical harvest weights range from 900 to 1,200 pounds. The carcass weight is the weight remaining after all dressing procedures are completed. Dressing procedures include removal of the blood, hide, head, intestinal tract and internal organs. The carcass weight will be the weight of the entire carcass before any further processing and meat cutting are done. Often, the carcass weight will be further defined as the hot-carcass weight or a cold (chilled) carcass weight. This differentiation is made because the weight of a carcass will decrease as water in

Dressing percent calculation

Dressing percentage for a 1,200-pound live animal with a 750-pound carcass has a 62 percent dressing percentage: (750-pound carcass / 1,200-pound live weight) X 100 = 62 percent.

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the carcass evaporates as it cools. The hot carcass weight is the weight obtained immediately after harvest and prior to entering a cooler. The cold (chilled) carcass weight is measured after postmortem chill. There is often a 2 to 2.5 percent (or more) difference in hot and cold carcass weight. Meat processors may also refer to the “hanging weight” of an animal. This measurement is essentially the carcass weight and may be expressed as the hot or cold carcass weight.

The dressing percentage of an animal is the portion (percentage) of the live weight that remains in the carcass. Dressing percentage is sometimes referred to as the “yield.” Dressing percentage is calculated by dividing the hot carcass weight by the live animal weight. The dressing percentage will vary from one animal to another. For example, a 1,200-pound live animal with a 750-pound carcass weight would have a dressing percentage of 62.5 percent, while a 1,200-pound animal with a 686-pound carcass would have a dressing percentage of 57.2 percent. These calculations are summarized in Table 1.

Animal 1 Animal 2

Live Animal Weight 1,200 pounds 1,200 pounds

Carcass Weight 750 pounds 686 pounds

Dressing Percentage 62.5 percent 57.2 percent

Table 1. Example Dressing Percentage for Two Animals with Different Hot Carcass Weights

Figure 1. The nine primal (wholesale) cuts of a half beef carcass. Dressing percentages can vary widely from one animal to

another due to differences in the intestinal contents (gut fill), carcass fatness and the muscle-to-bone ratio. Water and gut fill will increase the live weight and thus decrease the dressing percentage; animal fatness increases the carcass weight and will increase the dressing percentage. The whole animal carcass will be cut into halves, and then each half will be separated into the hind and front

quarters. Each quarter is then separated into primal (or wholesale) cuts. This process is referred to as “breaking down the carcass.” Beef primal cuts in the front quarter are the rib, chuck, shank, brisket and plate; the hind quarter is composed of the flank, round, sirloin and short loin (see Figure 1). The round, loin, ribs and chuck are the major beef primals and are referred to as the thick cuts. The other primals are referred to as the thin cuts.

Primal cuts will be further processed into sub-primals or into retail cuts. The basic concept of cutting beef retail cuts is to separate tender meat from less tender meat, to separate thick muscles from thin muscles and to separate fatter from leaner portions.

While there are some standard and generally accepted meat-cutting practices and styles, other cutting practices are specific to an individual processer. Similarly, some processors are willing to process and cut according to specific requests of the animal owner, while others may provide very limited cutting options. Some processors

have a standard cut sheet from which they do not vary. During early communications with the processor, it is good practice to openly discuss how much, if any, flexibility is available in cutting. Will the processor cut to preferences? Does the beef owner have the option for boneless vs. bone-in cuts, steak thickness, or regular vs. extra-lean ground beef?

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If working with a custom-exempt operation, it is helpful to determine whether or not there are any limitations on cutting wholes, halves and quarters for multiple (share) owners. Beef producers should become familiar with beef retail cuts regardless of their direct marketing route. Figure 2 shows a variety of retail cut suggestions for each primal cut. A variety of other resources are available to assist in the understanding of meat cuts. The National Cattleman’s Beef Association has marketing materials

available (store.beef.org). A booklet titled “Guide to Identifying Meat Cuts” is available from Internet sources. The Uniform Retail Meat Identity Standards also

is available online (www.beefretail.org/CMDocs/ BeefRetail/URMIS/introduction.pdf). This resource is a comprehensive collection of various retail cuts that can be derived from primal and sub-primal cuts.

Figure 2. Retail meat cut suggestions for each primal cut. Source: AggieMeat, aggiemeat.tamu.edu.

Beef Round - Top Round Beef Round - Bottom Round

top round

cube steak

top round steak

top round roast

bottom round

eye round roast and steak

bottom round roast and steak

rump roast cube steak

Beef Brisket Beef Round - Sirloin Tip (Knuckle)

brisket _{brisket whole}

ground beef or stew

sirloin tip (knuckle)

sirloin tip roast and steak

tri-tip steak kabobs

Thin Cuts - Short Plate, Flank & Shank Mostly for Ground Beef & Stew

short plate skirt steak short ribs flank flank steak

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Carcass Yield — How Much